Little Talks

We seem to be living in a time of increasing hopelessness. We are sitting in our homes watching as the world faces more and more problems every day, while we feel helpless to do anything about it when we can't even go places and do things to support ourselves financially and emotionally. A worldwide pandemic has temporarily shut down economies and continues to claim lives dat after day. Riots and protests over issues of racism are at an all-time high. Political climates everywhere are full of turmoil and uncertainty. Fear over government control in the wake of global catastrophe is only adding to the issue. Wildfires are raging yet again, causing apocalyptical red skies. Every day we see dissension and debates online, or hear about global crises that need immediate attention. Where is the hope? Socio-political issues seem to be growing into bigger discussions than ever before. Maybe, now that we have little going on in our lives, we have suddenly discovered that we have more time t

 I almost hate to admit it, but I've had moments over the past few months when the social justice messages flooding all of my web pages and social media started to feel like too much and I just wanted to shut it all out for a while. Maybe you've had an experience like that too. It's okay to feel weighed down or overwhelmed by all of it: the injustice, the opposing arguments, the lack of a clear and easy solution for all of the world's ills. It's a lot to take in. The Message Is Important, Therefore We Must Speak It In spite of our discussion exhaustion, the message of equality is so important. There is a reason that these discussions have been going on for decades – centuries, even. Of course, the discourse seems more prevalent now than ever. Perhaps it is because we have all been given a new platform through social media that simply could not be had before. Now, people who could never make their views known to the masses have a way to share their thoughts with comm

Billie Eilish just released her official tour video " NOT MY RESPONSIBILITY " and – wow! – there is a lot to unpack. I don't often discuss this sort of pop culture news, but she has me thinking that maybe I should. This video packed as much punch as any literary prize-winning story, if not more. In the video, the pop star sheds her baggy attire while she addresses her haters and, more specifically, body-shamers. Billie Eilish is notorious for wearing over-sized clothing that hides her figure. She has said that she does this so that no one can use her size or appearance against her because they can't actually see what her body looks like. But the narration in the video makes it clear that she still experiences judgement all the time, not just for how she looks, but for what she wears and how she acts. Why? Because she is in the limelight? Yes, that does amplify the attention she gets, and provide a platform for critics to call her out on a more public scale. But there